


The Path Before Me

by Cherry_B



Series: Cressi Week 2k18 [6]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Blood and Violence, M/M, Strong Language, cressiweek2k18
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 11:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16218212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherry_B/pseuds/Cherry_B
Summary: Cristiano has dreamed of being a Super all his life. He's worked so hard and has finally achieved it. A mission gone wrong throws things for a loop and now Cristiano is busy juggling leadership of Los Blancos, a new Culé hero swooping in out of nowhere and a cute new officer in town.Meanwhile Fernando can't seem to stay out of trouble. He seems to be a magnet for trouble makers and a certain Merengue.





	The Path Before Me

**Author's Note:**

> Think of Cristiano's suit as a less cat-inspired version of the Black Panther suit. It absorbs energy and expels it.

"Put me down! Put me down dammit!!"

Cristiano turns around as El Potrillo lands behind. It's a soft landing with no air movement around him. It's unsettling as Cristiano knows he's jumped down from the top of the four story building next to him.

"God, what is your problem?" yells the young man in his arms. 

"Usually people are grateful when they're saved, especially by me," El Potrillo says, a cocky grin aimed at the man still in his arms. 

"I don't need a member of Los Blancos saving me!"

Cristiano rolls his eyes, hands still busy holding up a would be robber up in the air. The whole rivalry between the Super Alliances has never made sense to him. A save is a save and if the Colchoneros or the Cules had shown up they'd have worked in tandem not against each other. It's a fact that even the fanboy should know.

"Ay, put him down, Potrillo. Can't soil him with your Merengue hands."

"All right," El Potrillo says and gently places the man down.

"I'm filing an official complaint against you," the man threatens, face flushed with anger. It makes his electric yellow freckles stand out even more.

Cristiano opens his mouth because that was uncalled for but El Potrillo laughs. 

"C'mon Fer. You look good today, I'm glad I got to see you."

Oh, Cristiano thinks, _that's_ Fernando. 

"I can't say the same. But of course you're glad I'm always in the middle of one of your messes."

"They aren't our messes, we just clean them up," Cristiano says, letting his annoyance bleed through into his tone. Fernando turns to stare at him, surprise and fear dance across his eyes before his face contorts with anger. He spins around and shoulders El Potrillo as he walks past him muttering dark curses.

Cristiano shoots him an unimpressed look as El Potrillo sighs. "Isn't he gorgeous? Great ass to boot."

"Yeah, a real charmer," he mutters before he too walks off. 

Cristiano carries the robber out of the alley they're in to hand him over to the police that had shown up to their back up request. 

The first to spot him is a soft eyed officer with floppy hair under his cap. 

"I'll take him, Commander," he says, with an even voice softer, as he reaches out. Cristiano can't help but note how thick his arms are and he stops short.

"You're new," Cristiano says and the man nods, seemingly surprised that Cristiano had noticed. 

"Just transferred from an eastern precinct," he murmurs. 

"Oh," he says. 

With nothing else to add the cop tries to take the robber out of his hands with a polite smile, tugging on him when Cristiano fails to let go.

"Uh, I'll take it from here?" he asks, looking confused. 

"Yes of course, officer. I'll have my agency send over the report after my patrol ends."

The officer smiles, he's clearly amused and Cristiano feels like an idiot. Of course he knows protocol, they teach it in the academy and he already told him he's experienced. 

He walks off as Cristiano continues to stand there uselessly.

"Oh man, that gonna be a problem?" El Potrillo asks as he clasps a hand over Cristiano's shoulder.

"No," he says shrugging him off. "Not at all."

*~*~*~*

The thing is Cristiano has dreamed of joining an Alliance since he was a poor kid out in the less well off part of a small island. It seemed impossible then, away from major cities with little money to their name and even less chances of getting out he had promised himself he'd make it happen. 

He had tried to make it, went to scouting tests each time they set up shop on the island but years passed and Cristiano got older and no one turned his way. 

By the time his father grew sick and his mother's hands ached from scrubbing toilets and floors all day he had been shot down by scouts from every major Alliance in the country. 

At eighteen he had scrounged together enough money for a ferry ride into the mainland and with a promise to make it and save his entire family Cristiano walked away and did his best not to look back. 

It was tough going. If he thought rejection had been tough on Madeira it was downright painful on the mainland. He was laughed out of agencies, barred from even entering some and thrown out of the rest.

The issue was simple, Cristiano was not Gifted. 

The chances were minuscule, born from a family of people with powers he should have inherited something yet he had developed nothing. For years he had begged for a chance to enter the Agency Academies with the excuse of being a late bloomer but by the time he had turned 14 everyone had pretty much accepted what he could not. Cristiano did not have and would never have a power. 

With the revelation came the even harder challenge of trying to get an Alliance Agency to accept a regular, powerless civilian. 

It hadn't worked. 

Cristiano spent two years juggling part time jobs while chasing his seemingly increasingly impossible dream. Then he had received the phone call that had changed his life.

His father had passed and Cristiano never had a chance to say good bye. 

He was packed the next day, bags in hand he was headed home when a man bumped into him. A hard full body tackle that pushed all air out of him as he fell to the floor. Still the man that hit him didn't stop, he had stood right back up and tried to run, grabbing one of Cristiano's bags as he fled.

"Stop!" a man had shouted.

Cristiano had picked himself up and ran after him, through the streets and around corners gaining ground on the panicked thief. When at last he caught up to him he had tried to grab him but the man had twisted out of reach and with burst of anger Cristiano had tackled him.

Pinned the thief surrendered, returning Cristiano's items and handing over another duffle bag.

The police arrived shortly after with an older man in tow. They'd arrested the thief and Cristiano had handed over the duffle bag. 

"I'm impressed," the man had said as Cristiano had walked away. "Quite the endurance power you have."

"It's not-it isn't a-"

"How would you like to stop by my office tomorrow and speak with one of our scouts. The Leões are always looking for new, promising recruits."

Cristiano had opened his mouth to explain, to refute the man's offer but instead he had said a simple, "Yes."

The truth had come out the next day but instead of the offer being rescinded the agency had offered to help him train him for Support.

It was his first step towards full on Super work.

*~*~*~*

"One of these days I'm going to get Fernando to admit he actually likes me."

"Yeah good luck with that," Marcelo says and everyone in the locker room laughs. 

"That guy seems to hate your guts," Cannon laments, earning more laughter from the Supers. 

"He likes me, I can tell. Commander, tell them!" El Potrillo insists and Cristiano shrugs. 

"Seemed like he hated you, probably a Le Plus fanboy."

El Potrillo turns looking absolutely offended. 

"Fernando has better taste than that."

"Isn't he a fan of Los Colchoneros? I'm like pretty sure every rojiblanco fan loves Le Plus and they definitely hate your guts," Suerte says, deceivingly sweet smile on his face. 

"I don't need to stay here and listen to this," El Potrillo says, slamming his locker shut he twirls around and exits the room, long hair and cape billowing behind him dramatically.

"I'm pretty sure he has two powers, flying and that thing he does with his hair and cape," Torero says. 

Cannon nods. 

*~*~*~*

- _I have four on the first floor, four on the roof_ \- The Conductor shares with everyone.

"That's still kind of creepy to me," Magic says crouched down next to Cristiano. 

"He can't read your mind if that's what you're thinking," El Potrillo says, on his other side. 

"Focus!" Cristiano scolds them. He's long since grown used to The Conductor and his unique skillset. Incredibly useful on recon missions and hostage situations his ability to detect people and then telepathically share information made him a top Super. It also made him somewhat uncomfortable to be around at first. 

"He's projecting, can't see your thoughts or anything," Potrillo says. A fact for which Cristiano is grateful. When he first met the cross Alliance Super he had feared the whole world would know the truth about him, he had avoided The Conductor until they were assigned a rescue mission together. 

The Conductor had approached him then and explained his powers with a timid smile.

"I don't read minds," he had said, "It's like speaking, it just happens people can hear me anywhere in the world."

- _Three on the third floor, first floor is empty._ -

"Ready?" El Potrillo asks, slapping Magics' back rather heavy handed. Magic pitches forward and barely stops himself from faceplanting. He glares at the team leader but El Potrillo merely grins at him.

- _Second floor clear. Everyone in position, you are cleared to go._ -

"Show time," he says and Magic rolls his eyes. 

Magic stands, weaving his hands in the air, shimmering out of existence a split second before Cristiano is sucked into a dark and silent abyss. He re-emerges in the middle of the roof of the same building they were scoping out a few seconds prior. 

He's disoriented for the split second it takes the others on the roof to notice them. It's all it takes.

Magic drops as soon they re-emerge, setting a drop down portal for them before blinking out of sight. 

El Potrillo rushes one of the grunts nearby, punching them in the jaw.

Cristiano is shot. He turns to look at the area where the bullet hit, no wound and no pain. The energy is absorbed with a subtle iridescent shimmer. 

"Hey!" one of them shouts to call his attention. Cristiano ignores him and rushes the one who shot him, bullets bouncing off him as he approaches. 

He reaches forward and punches the man in the gut, expelling 15% of the stored energy. It's enough to knock him down. 

El Potrillo throws someone off the roof and Cristiano winces as the man screams on the way down. 

"Skin armor power," El Potrillo explains as he flies back to the roof. Cristiano dodges an arm swinging down on his head, it glints and he groans.

"A knock off Edge," Magic says, suddenly appearing behind the man. He grabs him and they both disappear. 

"I said hey," a large man says behind him, kicking Cristiano in the chest as he turns around. "Fucking dampners."

Cristiano grins, amused that the man thinks Cristiano's power is to dampen other powers.

"Ok," he says and grabs the man's leg. He twists it, probably popping something out of something else, going by the man's loud scream. The man drops down in pain and Cristiano handcuffs him with actual dampners. "See? Different right?" 

The large man below freezes, "What is that? What did you do?!" he asks in a panic.

"What did you do to me!?"

Magic reappears with the man he had whisked away as well as the man with the armor power. El Potrillo brings over the man with the gun and all four are handcuffed and blinked away by Magic. 

"Let's go," El Potrillo says as they hop onto Magics' portal. They drop into the fourth floor where only two people remain.

"Shouldn't have split up," Cristiano tells them before he kicks the man with hooks for hands. El Potrillo pushes the other out a window.

"Oh shit!" Cristiano yells as the man bounces back through the windows, separating him from where he was jabbing and dodging swipes from the hookman. 

"That's cool, what is it rubber legs?" El Potrillo asks. 

The man growls and throws himself against Potrillo. The hookman changes Cristiano who expels enough energy to power a jump away.

"Hold still," the hookman says, swinging his hooked hands towards him. 

"Not a chance," Cristiano says as he leaps forward, using enough energy to smash the man into the wall. "I kinda like my face."

Cristiano aims chop to his head with a measured energy expulsion to knock him out and the hookman drops to the floor in a lump.

"Little help here," El Potrillo calls as the man he's fighting aims high speed kicks at him. He dodges him, but barely.

"Two on one hardly seems fair," Cristiano says as he cuffs the hookman. 

"Get over here, Commander!" El Potrillo says, sounding annoyed.

Cristiano rushes past him, taking two powerful kicks to the chest before they manage room subdue him. 

"Thanks," El Potrillo says, shit eating grin on his face as he ties up the man for teleportation. 

- _You're clear on three. They've all headed to the second floor, we have seven._ -

"Damn," El Potrillo says. " Alright, leaving two for Magic," he reports through his comm.

"Hmm, the packet must be on two then," Cristiano says as they reach the stairs, the sounds of fighting floating up the stairwell. 

El Potrillo reaches out a hand, grinning like mad. Cristiano hates being carried by El Potrillo but flying down would be fastest. He rolls his eyes and reluctantly reaches for him when Potrillo suddenly keels over on his side, clutching his midsection. Blood oozes from between his fingers and Cristiano reaches out to catch him as he topples over. 

"Shit! Shit! Man down!" Cristiano yells into his comm, looking around wildly, hoping to spot the assailant.

- _I can't see them_ \- The Conductor responds, his voice is calm but there's an edge to it. - _All Supers are engaged on the second floor. Just hold on._ -

Cristiano pulls El Potrillo closer to him and edges to the portal, having them back on the roof might help ease the rescue of their team leader. 

Something sharp jabs his shoulder and he drops El Potrillo, biting down his yell he lashes out but his punch hits nothing. Magics' portal flickers away and Cristiano knows whoever he's fighting is more powerful than the grunts they've faced until now.

He tries to cover his downed teammate but El Potrillo grunts as he's suddenly pulled away from Cristiano. A few feet away he's dropped back on the floor and onto his knees, hair pulled back to expose his neck, he clutches his bleeding side.

"Can you feel the blood filling your lungs, young colt? Isn't it marvelous?" Someone, a disembodied voice says, clearly delighted. A knife appears pushed against Potrillo's neck. 

Cristiano lunges forward, aiming above El Potrillo but he hits nothing and El Potrillo falls forward as he's let loose. Cristiano activates his body shield, a constant stream of energy flowing around his body to deflect any incoming blows. 

He reaches down to grab El Potrillo when he's pulled away again, gasping in pain as he's dragged across the room, legs first. Cristiano bursts after him, swinging almost wildly but he doesn't reach him before he's dragged up a wall and flung against the ceiling. He lets out a painful gurgle as another stab wound appears just above the one on his midsection. Blood drops down on Cristiano and El Potrillo gasps out an order. 

"Go."

"The hell I'm leaving. Listen you half bit Halloween bastard, if you want a fight I'm right here!" Cristiano jumps up and tries to pull El Potrillo down, he groans in pain but Cristiano can feel him resisting whatever is keeping him up on the ceiling. 

A knife spears through his shoulder, almost slicing into Cristiano's cheek and El Potrillo moans. 

- _Backup request has been acknowledged._ \- The Conductor says directly to them, urgent and clipped. 

"C-Cris, go!" El Potrillo urges and Cristiano can't leave him, can't complete the mission at the cost of his friends. 

"Fuck that. I'm sorry, Sergio," Cristiano says as he releases a burst of energy from his suit. El Potrillo takes the blast face on but so does the enemy because Sergio is immediately released, dropping into Cristiano's arms. 

Cristiano expels a powerful burst of energy from his boots, curling himself around El Potrillo's body he protects him as he bursts through a large window pane. 

They hurl towards the ground and Cristiano prepares to take the hit, switching his suit from shield to absorption. 

They land with enough speed and weight to knock the breath out of Cristiano. El Potrillo groans as he rolls off Cristiano, still bleeding profusely.

- _All Supers still engaged on the second floor. Commander, please hold them off._ -

"Yeah, no shit," Cristiano spits out, rolling over to check on El Potrillo. 

Sergio isn't doing well, his face is pale and covered in sweat. There's blood all over his suit and he's shaking. He makes eye contact with Cristiano and Cristiano knows El Potrillo doesn't have much time.

"Ok, ok," he says, in part to himself, in part to Sergio and in part to the villain he's going to tear into pieces the second he gets his hands on him. 

"Let's go!"

He tries to activate his shield but his suit sputters, purple sparks burst from the shoulder he landed on and it shakes him. 

Without his suit Cristiano has no chance of protecting his friend. 

"Conductor, I need Magic, I need an evac now!" he comms out. 

- _Backup is en route,_ \- is all he gets in response.

He looks down at Sergio again and takes a deep breath. He grabs his shoulder and grits his teeth as he shouts out a challenge. "Hey! I said, let's go!"

A knife appears in front of him, inches from his face he dodges, reaching out he manages to grab something, almost a limb but it loses its solidness. It turns into nothing and Cristiano is grabbing at air. 

Another knife comes at him from behind, he twists and deflects it by twisting his arm and slapping the knife off its aim. 

Cristiano is breathing heavy, he can't see his enemy. The Conductor can't see the enemy. El Potrillo is bleeding out and there's dozen of Supers only a few yards away. Still no one is coming to help. 

His ankle is nicked as he looks around, trying to defend himself.

- _Backup is almost there, hold on._ -

Cristiano wants to demand they get there faster but he doesn't want to give his enemy a heads up. He grits his teeth and jumps back as a knife materializes and swings down on him. 

El Potrillo grunts as the assailant grabs him once more, held up by his hair. Cristiano rushes towards him but he's dropped, faceplanting as his long hair is suddenly cut. Strands of hair litter the floor around him but the handful that was pulling the him upwards has disappeared. 

"Wonderful," the voice of the assailant says, it sounds excited.

"Don't touch him again," Cristiano snarls, leaning over El Potrillo. 

"You're not putting up a challenge here. So much for the famous Potrillo and Commander of Los Blancos. I'm bored," the villain says, sounding suddenly irritated. "I'm done playing with you two." 

Cristiano covers Sergio with his body but the blow he expected never comes. 

"Geri cover them!"

Something makes a tremendous noise as it crashes against the side of the building and a large wooden man appears above Cristiano who clutches Sergio closer. 

"Hello, we're the back up," he says and Cristiano breathes a sigh of relief as he recognizes Edge charging into battle. His blade arms clinking as they clash against the knife of the invisible assailant. 

"Take him, Pulga!" The tall man yells as another hero in a full blue body suit jumps in to help Edge. He leaps in and aims a kick at empty air but it must hit because the knife disappears. 

He and Edge jump back, back to back they crouch into defensive positions. 

"Let them handle the fight, let me help El Potrillo," the wooden man says. "I can stop the bleeding."

Cristiano nods, gingerly handing over El Potrillo. He's sweating profusely, looking paler than before. 

"They did a number on him," he murmurs, looking concerned. He picks up El Potrillo and runs away from where Edge once again is trying to over power the villain, Cristiano covering his back in case the villain makes a run for them. 

"I'm Geri," he says as he puts Sergio down. He places a hand over his shoulder and it starts to knit together, as the blood stops gushing from that wound Cristiano breathes a sigh of relief. 

"This isn't exactly my specialty," Geri says as he covers the knife wounds on Sergio's midsection. He looks even more concerned as he tries to close them up. "Punctured a lung."

Cristiano nods, frowning as Sergio's eyes seem to glaze over.

"Magic get your ass out here, El Potrillo needs immediate evac. Conductor, where the hell is he?" he hisses into his comm.

- _Magic is unconscious. Please allow Geri, Pulga and Edge to assist you._ -

Geri smiles at him. 

"L- _La_ Pulga and Edge will take care of him. Let's try and get your friend out of here."

Cristiano shakes his head, "I should stay and help. Please take care of him."

With that Cristiano turns and jumps into the fray. He runs and aims a kick where La Pulga is holding someone down, a vague form of a body flickering into sight. 

"Hold him," Edge yells as Pulga slumps onto the ground, the body below him disappearing. Cristiano misses by a second, his foot slicing the air next to Pulga's face and hitting the ground. La Pulga looks up at him, face completely hidden by his mask. 

"Hey!" Edge shoves between them, arms up and crossed to stop a knife from coming down on them. Cristiano upper cuts but misses and Pulga leaps up to grab hold of the villain. He grabs him and Cristiano tries to expel energy into a punch, his shoulder is on the fritz, crackling with energy but the output is good and the enemy finally appears before them as Cristiano punches him with half of the energy stored by his suit.

"Hello," Edge greets him with a savage grin.

The man stumbles and collapses, Pulga leaps on him and cuffs him with a pair of sleek, black handcuffs. The man instantly loses consciousness. 

"Energy sappers, newest Cule tech," Edge explains, sounding just a touch smug. "He won't be regaining consciousness until REM finishes with him."

Cristiano nods, he's sweating up a storm and his heart is beating wildly. Between the mission going to hell because of El Potrillo's injury and the injuries he sustained himself he feels drained. The situation finally crashes down on him and he rubs his bruised shoulder, noticing with disdain the amount of damage his suit has taken. 

"I need to head inside," he tells them. 

- _Two left, they're out numbered. Please rest, Commander_ -

Pulga tenses and Edge laughs.

"Hey, I thought I told you La Pulga is new here. Don't be freaking him out," Edge says into his comm. 

"They need to report, Conductor. With El Potrillo down they're going to need to speak with me," Cristiano says into his own comm.

"Thank you for your help," Cristiano says turning to Edge and La Pulga. "If you ever need back up, count on me." 

He shakes hands with them and runs to the front of the building just as the rest of his team exits. Cannon hobbles out with Magic leaning against him, blood oozing down his temple. Marcelo, Suerte and Torero are each pushing along an enemy. 

"Guardian is holding the rest inside. They're cuffed," Marcelo reports. "Relampago has the packet."

Cristiano nods as his team, beaten up but safe trudge up to him. They don't ask about their team leader, that information was gleaned from the back up requests Cristiano sent out, clearly heard by all. Magic catches his eyes and then he looks away. 

"Turn them over to the police officers. Head back to headquarters, shower and then we can properly debrief and turn in our reports," he tells them. They nod and flag down the officers waiting for the ok to approach.

Cristiano heads inside, eager to get away from everyone's eyes. He stops at the foot of the stairs and tries to keep it together. He stands there for a few seconds with his shoulder aching and a heart heavy. All he can do is hope that El Potrillo will recover.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for day 6- PDA. I know right now it doesn't make sense but it will be there, eventually! 
> 
> Ahhhhhh! I am beyond excited about this fic. This idea totally attacked me last minute and I wasn't able to finish in time. This is like draft one of the first part. I'm thinking there will be two more chapters. Depending on where the plot goes I may end up making changes here, I will let you know when I update. 
> 
> Finally clarification on names. 
> 
> Sergio is El Potrillo- it means colt  
> Cristiano is The Commander. Remember the time Sepp Blatter said Cristiano was a commander on the pitch?  
> Cannon is Gareth Bale  
> Le Plus is Antoine Griezmann  
> Guardian is Keylor Navas  
> Torero is Marco Asensio  
> Suerte is Dani Carvajal- There is a story behind this, I will explain in a later chapter.  
> Isco is Magic and I had to make him be a magician who could teleport, I could accept no other thing.  
> Karim Benzema is Relámpago. 
> 
> Leo is La Pulga  
> Edge is Luis Suarez  
> Gerard is Geri and there is also a story here.


End file.
